Getting Out of Town

I write this first footprint sitting in Smithy's Bar at Rydges Hotel Sydney International Airport on the afternoon before our flight. It's been a huge challenge just to get here. Not that getting from Newcastle to Sydney was a huge deal, that was pretty straightforward. A bus from Waratah into the Newcastle Interchange, a train to Sydney and a further bus trip out to the airport where we've showered, bought chocolate and have just ordeded a coffee. A drink will follow shortly.

No, the lead-up to our holiday has been pretty full-on for both of us. Lots of stuff to deal with, some personal stuff, some house stuff (we're buying new sofas) and a hell of a lot of preparation to leave my Practice for a month. My clients, my staff, my contractors, my intern. You can't just decide to leave town for a month, even for a week, without some fairly serious planning in a job like mine. Anyway, it's all done. And I could not be happier to jet off with my man across the seas on our first trip to the UK.

There's a funny ambivalence comes upon me while packing for a big trip like this. It's a feeling like you're leaving all the comforts of your home and life to set out for a series of minor discomforts; living out of a suitcase and clear sandwich bags full of toiletries and medicines for example. At the same time, there is a feeling of excitement and exhiliration. Travelling by bus into the Interchange, I could still feel the pull of Newcastle, but now that I'm at the airport, that feeling has receded. And I'm feeling excited and so so looking forward to our discovery of the UK together.

As we are both writers, we will of course be writing our journey as well as experiencing it. I'll do some FindPenguins footprints, maybe not every day, but many days, and I'll try to share the journey with you, those who are interested in following along. See you in the next footprint. For us now, a long flight ahead to Singapore then London.Read more